Casa da Calçada – Amarante's palace reborn on the Tâmega

Casa da Calçada stands directly on the Tâmega in the historic heart of Amarante, a sixteenth-century mansion that once belonged to the Earl of Redondo and later became a gathering place for the politicians and intellectuals of Portugal's early republican years. Today it is a 35-room Relais & Châteaux hotel, the realisation of a project begun by Manuel António da Mota, founder of the construction group Mota-Engil, and carried through by his daughter Paula Mota. The house closed in 2023 for a major refurbishment and reopened in April 2025 with its five stars and riverside gardens intact. Its heart remains Largo do Paço, the fine-dining room that has held a MICHELIN star since 2004 and is now led by 27-year-old chef Francisco Quintas, named a Young Chef by the MICHELIN Guide in 2026. The MICHELIN Guide gives Casa da Calçada itself Two Keys.

01The house

The mansion dates to the sixteenth century, when it was one of the main palaces of the Earl of Redondo, and the Portuguese government has declared it a building of special architectural, historical and cultural interest, noting its Baroque style and neoclassical elements. During the French invasions, English and Portuguese allied forces are recorded as having settled there.

At the start of the twentieth century the house became an important meeting point for politicians and intellectuals; its owner, António do Lago Cerqueira, was born in the palace in 1880 and went on to become one of the leading figures of Portugal's First Republic. The property was completely refurbished in 2001, becoming a five-star hotel and a member of Relais & Châteaux in 2003.

The hotel as it stands today is the fulfilment of a dream pursued by Manuel António da Mota, one of the founders of the construction group Mota-Engil, a project his daughter Paula Mota saw through to completion. The hotel closed in 2023 for a major, multi-million-euro refurbishment before reopening in April 2025, keeping its five stars and its Relais & Châteaux seal.

02Rooms and suites

Only 35 rooms occupy the palace, kept deliberately few to preserve what the house calls its homely feel. Categories range from the Classic Double Room and Classic Superior to Junior Suite, Balcony Suite and the Prestige River View rooms looking directly over the Tâmega, each finished with an interior design conceived around what the hotel describes as sustainable intelligence and a close relationship with the surrounding city and land.

Insider tip

Book Largo do Paço ahead; the spa circuit runs 9am–8pm and the gym is open around the clock.

03Where to eat

Largo do Paço, the hotel's fine-dining restaurant, first won its MICHELIN star in 2004 and still holds it today under creative director Francisco Quintas, who was named a Young Chef by the MICHELIN Guide in 2026. Born in Miranda do Corvo and trained at the Coimbra School of Hospitality and Tourism, Quintas worked in kitchens including Chiltern Firehouse and Aquavit in London before returning to Amarante in 2025 to lead the restaurant; his cooking is built around tasting menus of 13 or 15 courses that favour Portuguese produce read through international technique.

Canto Redondo, the hotel's second restaurant, is run by Emiliano Savio, born in Buenos Aires to Italian grandparents and trained at the Guido Probizer School in Trentino-Alto Adige. He worked at Villa d'Este in Lombardy and the Hotel Des Bains in Venice before eight years at Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St Moritz, and returned to Amarante in April 2025 to take charge of the kitchen.

Ciao Tílias brings an Italian repertoire to a dining room overlooking the Tâmega, led since 2022 by chef Rui Ribeiro, who began his career in Switzerland in 1987 before returning to settle in Amarante. À Margem, the breakfast room, looks out over the river and the town and is where guests take the first meal of the day.

04The bar and the wine

The bar draws on wines from the neighbouring Douro Valley alongside the house's own-produced champagne. The estate has been producing vinho verde since 1917 and holds what it describes as the oldest certified vineyard in the region, a thread that runs through the restaurant lists and the tastings the hotel arranges for guests at nearby quintas.

05Spa and wellbeing

Tempo Wellness Center occupies the lower floors of the house with an indoor heated pool, sauna, Turkish bath, ice fountain, gym and a menu of massages, facials and body treatments. The spa circuit runs daily from 9am to 8pm, with children admitted until 2pm, while the gym is accessible around the clock. Guests not staying at the hotel can also book massages between 9.30am and 3pm, subject to availability.

06The neighbourhood

Casa da Calçada sits inside Amarante's historic centre, a town built along the banks of the Tâmega and known for its baroque churches and the covered bridge at its centre. The hotel is a short walk from the Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso Municipal Museum, and from here it is an easy base for day trips into the Douro Valley's terraced vineyards, less than an hour from Porto.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.